Messi’s team writes to police, blames ex-minister Aroop Biswas for event chaos; ‘made me scapegoat,’ says organiser
Times of India | 18 June 2026
KOLKATA: The organiser of Lionel Messi’s India tour has claimed that the football star’s communication team has written to police, holding former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas responsible for the chaos that erupted during the event at Salt Lake Stadium last year.
Satadru Dutta, who was arrested and jailed over allegations of mismanagement during the event, said the communication cleared him of responsibility and blamed protocol violations and security lapses for the Argentine football legend’s early exit.
The Bidhannagar Police, which reportedly received the communication, has not commented on the matter.
"An email arrived today. The consultant and adviser associated with Messi's India tour has written to the Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar. Even on the day I was arrested, they repeatedly told the police about the role of the then sports minister. But the police ignored it and made me a scapegoat because Aroop Biswas was a minister at that time," Dutta told PTI.
According to Dutta, the letter from Messi’s team held the former minister accountable for disrupting the agreed security and event arrangements.
"They have now directly emailed the Bidhannagar Police Commissioner and have also conveyed that they are willing to provide further information, if required," he claimed.
The letter, dated June 17, reportedly said the decision to end the programme early was not because of any action by the event promoter.
"In my opinion, the unfortunate decision to have to terminate the event early was not in the control of the event promoter, Satadru Dutta, and he was not responsible for this. Rather, it was a precautionary measure necessitated by the breach of event protocol and security arrangements on the ground by parties that were not part of the original event plan," the letter said.
The communication, shared by Dutta but not independently verified by PTI, alleged that the approved protocol for Messi’s appearance was violated.
"During Messi's appearance at the stadium, the approved protocol of there being no dignitaries on the field and (permission of) only three camera operators was disrupted when the then sports minister entered the field of play and became involved in activities that were not part of the scheduled programme," it said.
The letter further claimed that several unauthorised people entered restricted areas, including around 40 unaccredited photographers and camera operators, leading to security concerns and disruptions.
It said Messi’s early departure was "purely a consequence of unauthorised personnel becoming involved on the field and trying to alter the agreed plans", along with security concerns caused by the presence of unaccredited individuals.
The controversy dates back to December 13 last year, when Messi’s appearance at Salt Lake Stadium turned chaotic after a large number of people allegedly entered the venue without valid access.
Spectators who had bought expensive tickets complained that overcrowding and poor arrangements meant they could neither see Messi properly nor enjoy the programme.
The football icon left the stadium soon after the disruption, following which angry spectators allegedly damaged parts of the venue.
The incident triggered a political row, with criticism directed at Aroop Biswas over alleged planning and crowd management failures.
Police later arrested Dutta on charges of mismanagement. He was released on bail after spending more than a month in jail.